Environmentally Friendly Boating
Low wash hulls
The majority of today's motor pleasure craft on the Broads have been designed primarily with comfort in mind. Such craft have not been moulded to meet the specific environmental needs of the Broads. While reducing speed remains in the forefront of the fight against boat wash and bank erosion, it is well recognised that the size and shape of a craft's hull affects the amount of wash it produces.
Research has shown the importance of the bow shape of the hull. In general, short full bows gave high boat waves, while longer and finer bows reduced wave making. The Authority continues to foster research into low wash hulls and to ensure that manufacturers are kept fully informed about advances, and given every encouragement to incorporate them into hull designs.
Electric boats
One of the main attractions of electric boats for the Broads is their quietness. Norfolk boatyards and engineers are in the forefront of development and design of electric boats and propulsion systems. Electric boats also have finer hulls, creating less resistance as they move through the water. This has obvious environmental benefits because they produce less wash. However, it is recognised that with improvements in electric battery technology, the need for a finer hull design could be lessened which could be detrimental to a craft's low wash characteristics.
There are many electric day boats for hire on the Broads. Day boats are ideally suited to electric propulsion since they can be recharged overnight. However the adaptation of electric power for weekly hire craft remains a harder task.
In 1992 Eastern Electricity installed seven charging points in the northern rivers as a first step towards encouraging the use of weekly electric hire boats on the Broads. This network of charging points has been extended by the Broads Authority and there are also charging points at some private moorings. Leading hire boat operators have serious reservations about the use of electric weekly hire cruisers, and many feel further advances in battery technology are needed to give holidaymakers the freedom they enjoy with diesel powered boats.
However, a cabin yacht with electric auxiliary engine is available for hire from Camelot Craft (based at Eastwood-Whelpton at Upton). The electric engine is an ideal complement to the power of sail, and as the batteries have a range of at least 12 hours between recharges, there can be no need to recharge during a week's sailing holiday.
The Electric Boat Association website has further information on the history and design of electric boats as well as details of electric boating events.
The Broads Authority supports further research into electric boating. A tolls incentive has been introduced which gives electric boats a 25 per cent discount on annual tolls paid for other motor craft.
Sailing
Sailing is one of the most environmentally friendly ways of exploring the Broads. It has a very long history within the area, from the days of trading wherries and the development of the Broads as a holiday area at the end of the 19th century. Today the Broads remains a great place for sailing holidays, day hire and learning to sail.
Pollution
The Broads is one of Europe's finest and most important wetlands. It includes designated sites for nature conservation, including 28 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) which cover 24% of The Broads executive area.
The Broads, apart from having many designated sites for nature conservation, is also important for wildlife throughout the area, with land and water managed for both biodiversity and landscape. Hydrological connections between waterways, fens and grazing marsh dykes will often result in pollution in one part of the wetland affecting a wide area.
The Broads Authority has produced plans for the management of oil and fuel spills. The Oil Spill Contingency Plan - Broads Navigation Area is for spills relating to private and hire craft. Such spills are generally relatively minor and consist of spillage of diesel during fuelling and the leaking of engine oil or fuel into the bilges and then into the water.
The Broads Authority is responsible for clearing up oil pollution and the investigation of offences. If you see an oil spill or wish to report any pollution incident on the water, please report it to Broads Radio Control on 01692 678459.
Antifouling
Traditional antifouling paints rely on a slow release of toxic ingredients, which prevents unwanted organisms settling on boat hulls. At sea, this problem can be particularly intense, with barnacles and seaweeds reducing fuel efficiency and steering sensitivity on badly fouled hulls. However, in The Broads, the range of creatures able to attach to boat hulls is very limited, with slimes of algae being the most common type of fouling. The types of toxic ingredients used in antifoul paints in the past were very effective indeed, but unfortunately left a legacy of contamination in our shallow, slow flowing waterways. The density of boats in The Broads combined with the limited amount of water flushing through has meant some areas have been very seriously affected. Modern antifoul paints which leave no persistent chemicals in the environment are currently used on Broads Authority vessels, as we aim to ensure the delicate underwater world of The Broads can be enjoyed by all. You can find out here about how to reduce the use of antifouling and boating greener and cleaner.
The Green Blue
If you want practical advice or information to help you think and act in an environmentally conscious way then visit www.thegreenblue.org.uk whose fundamental aim is 'making the environment second nature' in boating.
